Musical instrument



(No Model.)

B. WHBATON.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

No. 578,797. Patented Mar. 16,1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER IVHEATON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 578,797, dated March 16, 1897.

Application filed 311116 20, 1896. Serial No. 596,265. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER WHEATon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have in vented a new and useful Improvement in Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to wind instruments of the single-pipe pattern supplied with a number of holes for altering the tone and a number of keys for stopping said holes, sounded by the performerblowing in one end, the whistle end or embouchure.

The object of my improvement is to produce an instrument of this kind at small expense supplied with keys positioned with their free or finger ends spread out in a right and left line with reference to the performer when playing the instrument. This key arrangement admits of a chart being positioned upright across the keys with its face toward the performer at a convenient distance from the eyes. I attain this object by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top View of the entire instrument, dotted lines showing the position of the chart. Fig. 2 is a detached View showing the improvement. Fig. 3 illustrates another form of same principle of key arrangement.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throu ghout the several Views.

Pipe A can be made of wood, metal, or other suitable substance, round or square. In the illustrations a square wooden pipe is represented supplied with six tone-altering holes. The aperture of the pipe, which extends from end to end, is partially plugged at the end held in the mouth-the whistle end-adjacent to which an extra hole is made through the wall of the pipe, always open to the passage of air.

B is the platform or keyboard, used to sup port the keys and is firmly aflixed to the pipe. It is made of wood or other suitable substance.

I) c d efg are the keys,arranged side by side. These are strips of wood padded at the ends, stopping the holes. In this instance six keys are shown. More may be used, however, correspondii'ig with the number of tone-altering holes. Five of the keys slant out from the pipe, forming a triangle therewith and are fulcrumed to blocks h, secured to the keyboard. Key Z2 follows the length of the pipe and is fulcrnmed to blocks J J,seeured thereto. (Shown in Figs. 1 and 2.) Normally one end of each key, actuated by a spring arranged in any well-known manner, rests upon the pipe, each closely covering one of the tonealtering holes securely against the escapement of air. The opposite or free ends of the keys upon which the fingers rest when playing aline transversely to the length of the pipe and near the end opposite the embouchure.

P P are the posts, slotted to receive the chart, which extends from post to post across the keys, as shown in Fig. 1. I may arrange the keyboard and keys e11 either side of the pipe, as shown in Fig. 4, but prefer the arrangement shown in Fig. 1.

I am aware that prior to my invention musical wind-pipes have been made having keys extending out from the pipe. I therefore do not claim such a combination broadly.

\Vhat I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with a musical instrument of the single-pipe pattern supplied with a number of tonealtering holes and a whistle end of the triangular keyboard projecting at the side of the pipe substantially as shown and described.

2. In combination with a musical wind instrument of the singlepipe pattern supplied with a number of tone-altering holes, and a whistle end of keyboard, the keys arranged side by side their free or finger ends alined transversely to the length of the pipe near the end opposite the embouchu re end, all substantially as set forth.

ELMER \VHEATON.

IVitnesses:

CHARLES N. NOYES, ORPHA M. \VHEATON.

Corrections in Letters Patent No. 578,797.

I vIt is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 578,797, granted March 16, 1897, upon the application of Elmer "Wheaten, of Chicago, Illinois, for an improvement in Musical Instruments, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction, as follows: In line 68, the abbreviation and numeral Fig. L should read Fig. 3, in line 79, the Word of after the Word end should he stricken out and in line 85, the Word of should read and; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 10th day of August, A. D. 1897.

WEBSTER DAVIS, Assistant Secretary of the Interior.

[SEAL] Gountersigned:

BENJ. BUTTERWORTH,

Commissioner 0] Patents.

I It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 578,797, granted March 16, 1897, upon the application of Elmer Wheaton, of Chicago, Illinois, for an improvement in Musical Instruments, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction, as follows In line 68, the abbreviation and numeral Fig. 4 should read Fig. 3, in line 79, the word of after the word end 7 should be stricken out and in line 85, the word of should read and; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 10th day of August, A. D. 1897.

[SEAL.] WEBSTER DAVIS, Assistant Secretary of the Interior. Oountersigned:

BENJ. BUTTERWORTH,

Commissioner 0] Patents. 

